悲しいの歌
by Wet-Toilet-Roll
Summary: A story inspired from Proof of Life and Soundless Voice. Actually, the story behind the two songs. Rated T for I don't know what.
1. Autumn

A/N: Hi there~~ I decided to try writing a Vocaloid fan-fic, seeing as they're kinda like my latest obsession. asdjkasljfa o(`u´)o

This is a Rin X Len story, based off the songs Proof of Life and Soundless Voice. I think you know what to expect, but I would really like to try writing a sob story. I cried while watching the videos (LOSER), though, so I don't know if I have to heart to end this the same way as the song. OTL

I think I saw one or two song-inspired stories floating around here, but since everyone's doing the same thing— O_

Seeing as this is my first Vocaloid Fan-fic, please be kind and shower it with lots of love. Reviews, comments, favourites and the like. You can flame it too, I guess, but it'll break my heart. ; A ;`

Alright, enough of my nonsensical chatter; please enjoy the story! ^^

**Oh, right. The first few paragraphs before the first divider is from Rin's viewpoint. :3**

* * *

Winter was closing in. I could feel the chill seeping into the house, with its wooden walls and floor. The maple tree Len and I had planted when we moved here swayed with the strong winds, its rust-coloured leaves dancing across the brown earth. A melancholic mood settled as I gazed at the clouded sky. A particularly cold draught sneaked into the room through the crack in the window, and I shuddered violently. Coughing, I grabbed a red woollen shawl and wrapped it around my shoulders. Pushing myself out of the bed carefully, I slipped into a pair of slippers located conveniently near my feet and started making my way to the heater.

I was halfway through the journey when Len burst into the room, balancing a white plastic tray full of food on his left arm while his right hand was on the door. Once he spotted me out of my bed, a look of concern and annoyance flashed past his features.

"Rin, how many times must I repeat myself? Don't get out of the bed!" yelling irately, he set the tray down on the wooden table near him rather violently. He stomped to me, his brow furrowed. I smiled sheepishly, tucking a stray strand of blond hair behind my ear. Ah, I had forgotten to put the ribbon on today.

"I'm sorry! It's just that the heater wasn't on. I was feeling a little cold." I poked my tongue out at him cheekily, and his anger seemed to dissolve away. He huffed, feeling a little guilty for losing his temper, probably. Well, that had better be the reason, if it wasn't!

He looked at me and pulled me into an embrace. I was holding onto my shawl, and I released my grip on it in surprise. His warmth seeped into me, and I started feeling a lot better. Smiling, I hugged him back.

u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u

"Did my hug of love work its magic?" Len whispered into Rin's ear. Abashed, she squeaked and tried to break out of the hug. Laughing, Len let her go. She tottered on the spot, a faint blush colouring up her pale cheeks. He ruffled her hair and walked back to get the tray.

"I know I can't cook, but at least I tried," called Len as he presented an orange pudding, wobbling vehemently on a delicate china plate. Rin's eyes turned into sparkling aquamarines as the cold treat wobbled closer to her. She was about to devour it standing up when Len pushed her back onto the bed with his free hand.

"COME TO ME PRECIOUS BABY," whined Rin as she reached out for the treat furiously. Len frowned playfully. "Oh, so now some orange pudding is more precious than me?" he teased her, and she stared at him. "No…I mean…Len, just give me the darn jelly!" Len couldn't help giggling at her eagerness. Despite her illness, Rin was always energetic whenever any orange-flavoured treat was within grabbing distance.

Rin was diagnosed with some incurable disease a few years back. It was sort of like cancer; it being a rather malignant disease. The doctors took her for x-rays and all that but to no avail. They couldn't find a single tumour in her whole body. Alas, when they took a blood sample and tested it, the result came back with devastating news. The bacteria were in her blood, and it had spread to a point that it couldn't be removed even if they did blood transfusion or anything else. When the doctor delivered the news to them, both wept for days. Rin would constantly apologize because the both of them knew that she'd be gone before long. Over the months, Len decided that they cut off all contact from their friends and move to a secluded area to live. He wanted to spend the remaining days with her, staying by her side.

Reminded of her illness, Len's mood took a sudden turn for the worst. He set the tray down on her lap and she dug in immediately, oblivious. He watched as the silver spoon cut into the orange gelatine and sent piece after piece into her mouth. Relaxing slightly, his eyes grazed her blonde hair, her beautiful eyes that were sparkling in mere joy as she savoured the oranges' flavour and her pretty, childlike features. Kneeling by her bed, he rested his head on his folded arms and enjoyed the peaceful moment.

Just yesterday, he peeked at Rin when he saw her ambling to the bathroom. She kneeled and pulled out the weighing machine. Curious, he watched on as she stepped on it. Waiting for the digital counter to rise, she looked around to make sure Len was nowhere in sight. "If he caught me out of bed…" she muttered to herself. Looking back to the numbers displayed, she grimaced and sighed, running her hand through her golden locks. It seemed as though years of fatigue hit her at once, and it pained him to see her like that. She returned to her room surreptitiously and closed the door gently. Len tiptoed to the weighing scale and switched it on. It would retain the previous weight it measured and flash it once before resetting. He stared at the number display, stunned. She had lost weight again, especially when she was so thin to begin with. That's why he's feeding her with sweets, so that she'd gain a little more meat on lean arms.

u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u

All of a sudden, as Rin was finishing up the remnants of the sweet orange jelly, weakness struck her like a wave crashing onto the rocks. The delicate silverware fell from her slender fingers and cluttered loudly onto the china. Startled, Len's head shot up. Bewildered, he stood up as Rin wavered unsteadily with her eyes shut tightly.

"R-Rin..!" Len reached out to steady her, but Rin recovered and grasped his fingers tightly.

"…I'm fine, Len." She smiled with some difficulty. "It must be the weather, seeing as it's getting rather cold. I'll be fine after a nap."Len stared at her helplessly for a while. Nodding wordlessly, he left the room. Turning the knob, he looked over his shoulder once more, at the curled form of his beloved under the crumpled sheets.

u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u_u

Once Len was outside the room, he let his emotions take over him. Tears of anger and despair rolled down his cheeks. Watching Rin waste away in front of his eyes; the illness eating away at her being everyday was indescribably excruciating. He raised his shuddering hands to his face and sobbed uncontrollably. It had been a long time since he let himself go like that—he did not want to be seen as weak in Rin's eyes. He was supposed to be her pillar of strength; the one that would always support her despite all that will happen.

Len rebuked himself savagely in his mind; he should man up and stop crying lest Rin saw him behaving like that. He could not, though. Tears cascaded down and dripped off his chin and rolled down his hands. Sobbing his heart out, he began to walk away from the door. Suddenly, the door opened and he felt a pair of arms embrace his torso tightly. He could feel Rin resting her head on his back. He wiped away his tears hurriedly and took her hands away from him, holding them tightly as he turned to face her.

"Hey," he said quietly. "You should be sleeping, Rin." Rin looked up with tears in her eyes. Len stared at them, speechless.

"W-What's wrong—"

"I could hear you, Len." Rin said with her cheeks flushed. She shut her eyes tightly and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Don't cry, Len. It makes me sad when you're like that." He frowned and hugged her tightly. "Let's go shopping. We need to prepare for the long winter ahead." Nodding vigorously, Rin blinked away stray tears and gazed at Len. Giving him a blitheful smile, she kissed him lightly on the cheek and returned to her room to change. His cheeks lit up like glowing embers. Smiling, he assured himself.

"We'll be alright."

* * *

A/N: How was it? Please give me a good review, in case I need to improve on the story in any way. . Thanks for reading! ^^


	2. Contentment

A/N: Heyy. Sorry this chapter is so short…I usually find them going on and on, but… D: There isn't really anything happening in this chapter, but it needs to happen for the next story to seem more naturally timed. IDK WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT LOL. Think of this as the lackluster chapter before the better ones. It's something like a bridge we all have to cross, but don't really want to. CHAPTER 3 WILL BE A LOT BETTER AS A SORT OF COMPENSATION. :

Oh, by the way, I forgot to add the disclaimer for the last chapter. Eheh. None of the Vocaloids belong to me.

* * *

Len woke up to the sound of a train running far away. Sitting up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he yawned and gazed at the clock beside his bed. The analog clock showed that it was 8:50am, barely anywhere near the time he had planned to wake up on a Friday. He ambled down the corridor, thinking of checking up on Rin before collapsing back into a mini coma. He had planned to share a room with her (for various reasons—sex isn't the most important thing, you know) but she refused, thinking that her disease will spread to him.

Len had reasoned then, scoffing, "But if it could happen, it would have happened long ago, bozo."

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Rin cried, flailing her arms. "I don't want to risk it..! Speaking of which, you should lessen the time spent near me, I don't want to spread it to you."

He had taken a banana from the fruit bowl and threw it at her head then, but nevertheless, he respected her decision. He hoped that she'd let him move to the same room with her though. He wanted to be near her every day.

He opened the door and poked his head in, to see the bed already made, and the curtains drawn, depicting a slightly cloudy sky. The maple tree's branches were bare at this time of the year, and the place where they lived was rather out of reach for society. They were surrounded by sparse forests, and seeing as the leaves of those trees have all shed, it was just stretches of bare trees all around.

Len scratched his head, sleep still clouding his mind. "She must be in the toilet." Dragging himself to the bathroom, he knocked on the door, but it swung open slowly, revealing an empty, lighted washroom. Suddenly, his internal alarm was wailing, and adrenaline kicked in. "Rin!" He called out with an edge on his voice. No answer came, and he started opening all the doors on the second level. His slender, blonde, precious love was nowhere to be found. Running down and almost tripping down the stairs, he was met with the delicious scent of melting sugar. Nonplussed, he went down the remaining of the stairs warily.

"Good morning, Len~" Rin sang sweetly from the kitchen when she heard him descend the stairs. Len stared at her, dressed in a frilly white apron they bought 3 days ago. He stuttered, bewildered. "D-Didn't you hear me call your name just now?" She looked up from a box, shaking her head. "No, I didn't. What's the matter?" He sighed, relieved, shaking away any thoughts about her going out by herself and meeting up with a mishap halfway.

"What are you doing?" He asked her. He winced when he saw the mess on the kitchen counters. Rin grinned and said, "I'm making breakfast for you, in return for the orange pudding. I read this recipe when I was using your computer yesterday." Len smiled, a little apprehensive. The last time she cooked, she made fried noodles. It would have been rather good except for the fact that she used sugar instead of salt.

"Well, at least it smells good this time." Len muttered as he took a seat at the table. The room was warm and toasty, and he felt a little sleepy. Minutes past, and he heard a triumphant squeal from the kitchen.

"I did it!" Rin cried as she turned to face Len, her cheeks flushed, a look of joy on her face. He giggled at her cuteness and laced his hands behind his head, waiting for the surprise. She shuffled to the table, setting down a plate before Len.

Holy cow, it sure looked delectable—caramelized bananas on pancakes. Len picked up the fork and started digging in. Rin sat down beside him; full of anticipation, as she waited for the final verdict. Scrutinizing his face, her face fell when he grimaced.

"Is…is it terrible?" Flustered, Rin's hands flew to her face. Len closed his eyes and continued to chew slowly, nodding. Silence settled in the room, and the only sound was the crackling of the embers in the fireplace.

Len was curious as to why Rin was not doing or saying anything at all. He peeked at her with one eye. She was tearing..! Oh god, he was a monster! Now it was his turn to be flustered. "Rin, Rin! I was teasing you, it's delicious. How could I ever dislike anything you make for me?" Len cried, waving his hands in front of her face.

Rin sniffled and pouted. "You idiot..! I'm never cooking for you again!" she snapped, her face pink. "I put my heart into making that for you, you stupid banana!" Len grabbed his chest in pain. Darn, he felt as though he had just killed off the whole species of bananas. He was about to apologize to her when he caught sight of her face.

It was too adorable..! He wanted to guffaw at her attempts at being angry make her look like an angry kitten, but he remembered that the road roller was in the shed, so he held it in.

"You're so precious when you're angry," Len smirked.

Rin attacked his head, squealing incoherent words in anger, presumably about stupid bananas. Chuckling, Len removed her hands from his cheeks and hugged her. They remained like this for a while, breathing in sync and listening to the pleasant crackling in the fireplace. Rin snuggled into Len's neck, and he stroked her hair. He wished that this moment would last for all eternity, so that they wouldn't have to face what was waiting ahead for them.

"I love you, Rin." He whispered in her ear with a pang of pain in his heart, glancing down at her. She smiled, her long lashes blinking in acknowledgement. Their fingers interlocking tenderly, she tightened her grip on his hand and sighed in contentment. That was enough for him.

"…it's snowing." Len said casually, staring out of the window, at snowflakes descending from the dreary sky.

* * *

A/N: Ahah, the only important thing here was actually the snow. I'm such a loser. Stick around for chapter 3; I'm typing it right now, actually. :3


	3. The Piano

A/N: Oh, geesus, sorry this took so long. I was busy with the new year and all. D; Without further ado, here it is, 6,274 words; a little longer than the usual as promised. :3

* * *

An unceasing ringing resounded throughout the empty house. Len had just settled into a very comfortable position on the velvet couch in front of the television when he heard the annoying sound. Irked, he swung his legs off the couch and stomped to the rustic telephone set.

"Hello."

"…LEN! Man, it's been, like, forever! How are you doing?" a familiar, jocund voice could be heard.

Len grinned. "Kaito..? Long time no see! I'm doing fine. Good, in fact! What about you?"

Kaito answered joyfully. "I'm doing great. I finally got Miku to watch a movie with me. Hee~"

Len stifled a laugh. He could just imagine Miku and Kaito going on a date. No, wait, he found it _hard_ to imagine them on a date, given Miku's rather dominant personality. "Really…that's good for you! How're things back there? I haven't seen you all in ages."

"Everyone's fine. Meiko finally got that part-time job she needed to pay for her alcohol fix," replied Kaito, chuckling. "Gumi, Gakupo, Luka…they're all fine. Hey, I haven't spoken to Rin in such a long time. Put her on the line, would you?"

Len's face fell. "She went to the hospital for some check-ups and medicine refills. She went early in the morning so I couldn't follow. She's coming back soon, though." Speaking in a quiet voice, he gripped the cord of the telephone hard. Kaito fell silent, and the atmosphere turned awkward and grim. They were saved, however, by Miku's loud voice from Kaito's side. "Kaito, is that Len you're calling? Gimme the phone, gimme the phone! I wanna speak to Ri—" her voice cut off mid-sentence. Len presumed that Kaito covered her mouth, telling her that Rin wasn't available now. There was a short moment of silence before Miku's voice burst through the speaker.

"Hello there, Len! It's been a while! Listen, we're all planning to visit you for a short while, how about it?" Miku spoke avidly down the phone.

A small smile returned to Len's face. "That'll be lovely! Rin and I would love to see you all again."

He could almost hear the grin in Miku's voice as she continued. "Alright..! How about we come over soon? In…like…1 hour?"

Baffled, Len almost dropped the phone. "W-W-What..!" he sputtered. "In an hour..? YOU ALL ARE COMING IN A FRICKING HOUR? WHAT THE HELL—"

Kaito took over the phone again. "Len, if you're worried that we can't find your house, don't worry. We can just tail Rin back. We're in the vicinity, anyway. We just don't know which street…"

Len wanted to reach into the phone and throttle Kaito. "You…you ice-cream freak..!" He had planned to wait for Rin to return and they would spend a blissful afternoon watching a movie he had rented, and then he'd bring her out to eat.

Kaito quickly gave him an incoherent reply and shouted to someone else before hanging up, something about "Rin", "ribbon" and "catch". Left hanging, Len stared at the telephone as though it was a bunch of infectious bacteria. Grumbling to himself, he pulled out a few more chairs from the storeroom and set them at the dining table. He looked out of the window. It seemed to be snowing a little heavily this year, and just at the start of the winter season too. Putting on a coat and a knitted scarf, he grabbed a shovel and went out to shovel the snow off the path. Just as he was halfway through, a blue car rolled up on the driveway.

~~~~~~w~~~~~~~

Len looked up. He saw Kaito's smug face behind the windscreen and sneered in return. Smiling like an idiot, Kaito pointed to a frowning Rin, who was sitting on Miku's lap and blushing furiously. "We kidnapped her," mouthed Miku as she patted Rin's head. The car moved sluggishly through the snow and came to a rest beside the flight of steps leading to Len and Rin's wooden home. Once the car stopped, Rin bolted out and ran to Len's open arms.

"Len..! That stupid ice-cream maniac made me sit there—on Miku's lap—like a kid! So many people were staring at us as we drove back here. Meiko just looked on and laughed!" Rin whined as she shot a poisonous glare at Miku. Len could feel his face thawing as Rin held onto his arms tightly.

"Aww, Rin, you're so adorable and petite! Of course I wanted you on my lap," teased Miku as she put her hands on her hips. "You're like a little bunny, with that ribbon on your head."

"I'm only two years younger than you, and you're not that much taller than me!" snapped Rin, her blush returning back to her cheeks. Len giggled uncontrollably at Rin's annoyed expression. She glowered at him as though he betrayed her and stomped back into the house. He followed in her wake, motioning for the others to do the same. "It's cold here, let's go in already!"

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*OuO_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

As soon as they enter the house, Kaito tackled Len from behind and pulled him into a crushing bear hug.

"AAAGGHH" cried Len, trying to break free of the suffocating embrace.

"OH, MY PRECIOUS LITTLE LEN, I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN AGES! I MISSED YOU SOOO MUCH~" cried the older male as he ruffled Len's hair.

"Go away, you idiot!" yelled Len as he pushed Kaito's face away from him with all his might. Breaking free of the deadly embrace, he paused for a moment to catch his breath, but when he looked up, the curvaceous figure of Meiko towered above him (strictly speaking, Kaito is taller than Meiko, but she's tall for a woman, I guess). A pair of hands with red, painted nails reached out and grabbed hold of his cheeks.

"LEEEEEEEENNNN~ Have you been treating Rin right?" Meiko cooed, her fingers pinching Len's cheeks and pulling at them as though they were mochi. Len whined in pain and batted her hands away. He sneaked a look at Rin and saw that she was being assaulted by Miku as well.

"RIN~~~"

"GO AWAY MIKUUUU"

"MY ADORABLE LITTLE ORANGE~ I MISSED YOU SO MUCH" shrieked Miku, hugging Rin, acting as though she was crying. Rin squirmed, her face a little blue from the lack of oxygen.

Meiko and Kaito grinned and joined in the fun, leaving Len strewn on the wooden floor. Glancing up, he saw that Rin was laughing, despite being a little blue. Smiling to himself, he realized that he could hardly remember the last time the house was filled with such life. Lost in his own train of thought, Len spaced out. Rin looked over to him, her cheeks being abused by the brunette. She was about to call out to him when Kaito announced that it was time for a tea-break. That only meant one thing—ice cream.

"See, Len, I just love you too much. I bought you pints of banana and chocolate ice cream!" Kaito giggled as he brought tub after tub of ice cream out of the numerous bags they had brought with them. "Now, Rin, we haven't forgotten about you. This is from me, to you; the latest orange-flavoured frozen treat that is taking the world by storm!" he exclaimed grandly, flinging his arms out in the air as though he was the creator of the dessert. Len and Rin gaped at him in exasperation; funny that they were younger than the blue-haired youth, but their energy was already long spent. Miku was just sitting beside them, chomping on a raw leek as she laughed, the pungent scent of the vegetable filling up the enclosed area. Meiko was cackling as she opened beer after beer, drunken talk coming out of her mouth.

She sauntered over to Len and ruffled his hair. "Say, Rin—where's that big, white bow of yours? I…I wanna try it on for size." Everyone burst in hysterics, excluding Len, whose face glowed like a red Christmas tree bauble. He frowned and took the beer away from her, throwing it in the trashcan. "No…no need to get all angry…R-Rin…you might grow some wrinkles on that pretty face of yours." hiccupped Meiko, her eyes barely focusing.

Christmas music blasted from the television abruptly—Kaito had turned it on without warning. He and Meiko began waltzing to Christmas jingles, with Miku laughing hysterically and egging them on. Rin clapped and sang along. Sighing in resignation, Len took his place beside Rin. She blushed happily and held onto his arm, her knees drawn up onto the couch. The fair-haired duo chortled as Miku joined in, waving the half-eaten leek around like a conductor's baton.

"I'm glad they came today," giggled Rin, her eyes shining with mirth. Len nodded. "They're all so crazy and noisy." He sighed, pushing his bangs out of his eyes.

"The house always seemed kinda quiet with just the two of us." Rin replied. Len glanced at Rin's face, a little lost for words. She was gazing at the trio with a face of contentment, her eyes half-closed.

Len's heartbeat quickened. He knew that Rin wasn't talking about the lonely company; they were always happy with each other for that. It was true, too—the house was always rather quiet, especially now, since the birds around here are always the migratory species that disappear whenever the cold starts to set in. The snow mutes out any sounds that may come from the town nearby. Whenever he leaves Rin's side to retrieve something from his room, the silence actually hurts his ears.

Stroking Rin's head tenderly, his mind drifted here and there. He was about to ask her something when he noticed that she was sleeping. Her angelic face was framed by her flaxen hair, and for once, she looked as though she was perfectly fine.

*~*~Len's Viewpoint~*~*

"Say, Kaito…" I started off, but my mind just drifted off to somewhere else immediately. Recently, I caught this habit of spacing out randomly. It was actually rather inconvenient, seeing as I wouldn't make much sense to my conversation partner.

"Hmm..? What is it?" Kaito looked up from his tub of vanilla ice cream, the spoon in his mouth. Miku was resting on Meiko's shoulder; much to his chagrin, watching some show about touring the northern part of Japan during winter, namely during Christmas.

"I was wondering if we should all go out for _nabe_. Seems like a good way to warm ourselves up," I continued, falling into the seat beside him.

He smiled brightly at the idea. "That would be awesome. Do you know any place that serves delicious _nabe_ nearby?"

"Yeah, actually, I do. The town you passed on your way here—there's a nondescript shop that serves the best nabe I've ever tasted." I muttered lazily, stretching in an attempt to shake off the sleepiness.

Kaito nodded slowly, chewing on the ice-cream as though he were pondering something. He glanced at Rin and then at me. "Say, Len; Rin's getting a lot better lately, hasn't she?"

"Only for a day, after she returns from the hospital. She'll be energetic for the whole day, and then it'll be back to the bed for her." I replied shortly. "She _IS_ getting kinda better, though." I added quickly, rebuking myself for my pessimism. It would be wonderful if she really got better, though.

Kaito nodded again, looking back at me.

I fiddled with my fingers, reorganising my thoughts. "I was thinking that I should buy a piano, seeing as the house is always too quiet." I sighed, glancing at Rin, who shifted into a more comfortable position on the couch. Looking back at Kaito, I noticed that he had just finished the whole pint of frozen vanilla ice-cream in a matter of minutes. Flabbergasted, I gaped at him like a stunned goldfish. "Are you even human?" I cried, and received a cheeky smile in return.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE," Kaito jumped up, his blue scarf being tugged along as though it were a flag. "IN FIVE MINUTES, WE'LL ALL BE HEADING BACK INTO MY BLUE BABY." Everyone stared at Kaito as if he was from another planet—presumably from the planet of blue-haired idiots.

"First things first," asked Meiko, surprisingly sober. "What's this…blue…baby you're talking about? Secondly, where are we going?"

"We are going to have _NABE_~" screamed Kaito as he played an air guitar, head-banging to cheerful Christmas music booming from the television's speakers. Meiko stared at him for a good 10 seconds before returning her gaze back to the television.

"Psychopath…" she muttered.

*~*~*w*~*~*

The whole company were sitting on comfortable cushions set on a tatami floor. Rin and Len were, of course, sitting beside each other. Meiko was jeering at everyone in general out of impatience as she waited for the sake. Kaito was pouting tearfully at Len; who was choosing to ignore him, as Miku was refusing to sit beside him.

"Y…You and I, we are one, so why can't we behave like a couple and sit beside each other just like the precious blonde babes?" He whined, twisting his dark blue scarf wistfully.

Miku sit on her cushion, prim and proper. "I've only agreed to watch one movie with you, so don't get your hopes too high."

Kaito flailed around their table like a dying fish out of water as the others read the menu. Soon, the food arrived, and even the blue-haired male cooled down to enjoy the delectable meal set out before them. An hour or two passed, and soon, the party of five were strolling along the streets of the bustling town. Rin walked near to Len, who glanced shyly at her. She smiled sweetly, and Len blushed lightly, smiling back. Wrapping his arm around her waist, they gazed at the snowflakes drifting from the Cimmerian sky as they strolled, leaving footprints in the thin layer of snow. As they passed by a quaint shop, Len's eyes widened as he caught sight of the piano displayed at the window.

Rin looked back at him, noticing that he'd stopped. Speaking through the scarf wrapped around her mouth, "Len..? What's wrong?"

Glancing back at her for an instant, he replied through a matching muffler. "…nothing at all, Rin. I'm just looking at something." Kaito caught sight of the scene before him and trotted over to him, leaving his teal haired princess's side.

"That's a really lovely piano." Kaito commented casually, folding his arms across his thick blue jacket when he followed Len's gaze to a shop's window. Nodding silently, Len hesitated. Should he buy it?

"Isn't there an empty spot for you to place that piano somewhere?" encouraged Kaito, a smirk crawling onto his face.

"Yeah, there is." Len's gaze shifted to the shop's entrance, and even though Kaito couldn't see it, he could tell that Len was grinning widely. Letting go of Rin's hand, he ran into the shop, a copper bell signalling to the shop owner that a customer has just entered. Slightly confused, Rin gazed at the spot where Len had just been standing at.

"Aww, surely you can do without your beloved for an instant?" teased Kaito, an annoying, smug smile plastered across his face, his cheeks pink as a result of the cold, biting winds. Miku frowned at him and Meiko giggled; their cheeks pink too, but there's no telling whether the latter was cold or just drunk.

Rin glared at Kaito and pulled his blue scarf down viciously, a devious smile peeking through her scarf. He felled into the snow; head first. The trio of girls laughed at the pathetic sight, dumping more snow on the defeated male.

- A -`

Len took off his gloves as the warmth of the shop seeped into his clothes. His ears began to thaw and he rubbed them. "Welcome." An elderly man greeted him from across the counter at the far end of the shop. He nodded back politely and strolled to the piano he had seen from outside the shop. It was an 1881 Vose & Sons Square Grand Piano. He ran his finger along the intricate carvings on the piano, before setting his finger on a piano key. He pressed down on it and the pristine sound of a High C resounded throughout the shop. Smiling to himself, he looked over to the shopkeeper who was observing him with interest.

He was about to ask the shopkeeper if this was for sale when a young adult couple burst into the shop, holding each other's hands, their faces glowing with happiness. They immediately made their way over to the piano, and Len backed off, surprise written all over his face.

"This was the piano I was telling you about," the man began, beaming pleasantly. The woman's eyes shone, her voice quivering. "You bought this..? It's so beautiful..!" Len's heart sank; he had already thought of where to place this beautiful piano, despite its bulkiness and size. His eyes widened as he watched the man kneeled on the ground as though he were proposing. The man bit his lip, his cheeks red as he fumbled with his pocket. Beaming, he took out a small, red, velvet box. Len did a double take. He WAS proposing to the woman!

"Initially, I had thought of proposing to you in the streets just now…but…I thought it'd be more…romantic…here…" the man mumbled, his voice trailing off. "Will you marry me, my love?" His lover stared, wide-eyed, her gloved hands on her face and her cheeks a pretty pink. The whole shop was silent; as though waiting for the final answer. Len swallowed hard, feeling his face heat up as well. He had never seen someone propose marriage before.

A deathly silence ensued, and even the old shopkeeper's wife poked her hoary head out from the counter. Even the man who was proposing began to get a little on edge. Finally, tears came to the woman's eyes. "Y-Yes, yes, I will!" Laughing in elation, the man jumped up and hugged the woman, and the couple were locked in an embrace, kissing. The aged shopkeepers shouted a 'congratulations', their wrinkly faces stretched by grins as wide as the banana Len had for breakfast this morning. The newly engaged couple bowed in gratitude. Wringing his hands, Len congratulated them in a shaky voice, his face the colour of a beetroot.

"C-Congratulations..!" Len said as he stuck his hand out, immediately wishing he hadn't. Beaming, the newly engaged couple shook it warmly. "Thank you, young man." And as abruptly as how they had appeared, the happy couple left the shop after thanking the shopkeepers.

Len was smiling to himself, a thought forming in his mind when he remembered something. "T-The piano…oh, no, I had wanted to get that..!" He walked over to the old man, who greeted him with a smile.

"Too bad about the piano, eh…I was about to tell you about it when they came into the shop," he started, referring to the couple.

Len nodded a little sadly. He glanced back to the shopkeeper, clasping his hands in front of his chest. "I…I wanted to ask if you had another piano like that one."

The shopkeeper scratched his head, thinking. "…no, no, we don't. We only managed to get our hands on that through a friend. Heck, I was so reluctant to part with it, despite the price that man offered, but when he mentioned that it was an engagement gift…"

Len's face fell. He had wanted to buy it as a gift for Rin too. The elderly man caught sight of his expression.

"Let me guess; you wanted it as a gift too? For a girl..?" The elderly man said the last sentence a little slyly.

Len nodded. "I wanted it because our house always seemed a little too quiet. My…eh…there's this girl…" Len didn't know what to refer to Rin as. She wasn't his girlfriend, she was more than that. But it wasn't as if she was his wife, thought Len. As soon as he realized that thought, his face heated up and turned frighteningly red—almost crimson. The shopkeeper chuckled at the sight before him.

"Seems as though this girl is really important to you," the shopkeeper commented as he took off his glasses and began wiping them. "Say, do you happen to live in that wooden house not far from here?"

"Yes, I live there with…my…this girl called Rin." Len replied, smiling politely at the elder.

"Oh…oh…so you and this girl, Rin are the couple that live there…" said the shopkeeper, more to himself than Len. Suddenly, the shopkeeper's eyes sparkled. "Say, young man, if you're thinking of getting a piano for that young lady…" he motioned for Len to come behind the counter.

Len bowed to the shopkeeper's wife as he followed the old shopkeeper.

"You can call me Sano, young man. I think I have seen you and the girl Rin around these streets before." The shopkeeper spoke over his shoulder as he led Len to a workshop behind the counter.

"Yeah, I think you may have, Sano-san. I take Rin along with me when we need to do some shopping, seeing as I need to take care of her." Len answered, thinking of Rin as she laughed, pointing to various shops with a slender finger. Smiling to himself, he looked around in wonder at the various piano parts, a workbench that looked as though it has been put to good use, and a functioning clock made of old, recycled piano parts. When Sano stopped in front of him, Len followed suit.

"Sano-san..?" Len asked, and the shopkeeper gestured to a large object covered with a thick blue cloth.

Hesitantly, Len removed the cloth gently, placing it on the ground. His eyebrows raised in surprise when he laid eyes on the piano before him. It was another piano made by Steinway & Sons. This one, however, was a studio upright model 1098. Its simplistic beauty and satin finish really appealed to him.

"I had planned on bringing it home when I got it from the distributor at Tokyo…but…" Sano said as he toyed with his walrus moustache. Len looked over at him, almost afraid to ask.

"H-How much is this piano, Sano-san?"

"…" Sano eyed Len with a critical eye, as though he were considering something. He had heard about the young, flaxen haired couple that lived in that wooden house. The young girl was supposedly struck with some incurable disease. He wasn't sure if it was pity he was feeling for the youth standing in front of him, or admiration.

"Take it. It's a gift from me to your beloved Rin." Sano sighed as he crossed his hands across his chest, gazing at a bewildered Len.

"I…no…Sir…I can't…possibly..!" started Len with some difficulty, but Sano cut him short.

"I only want one thing from you; a promise." Sano took a firm hold of Len's shoulders and shook him. Len gulped; Sano's eyes were deadly serious. "You must take good care of Rin, young man. Don't back out of this responsibility."

Len's eyes narrowed. "I have never once thought of doing so."

Satisfied, Sano snorted. "I'll send someone to bring it over to your house tomorrow."

As they exited the workshop, Sano's wife apologised for her husband's brusqueness. Apparently she heard what he had said to Len. Len smiled toothily and thanked the elderly couple profusely. Sano winked at Len before returning to his workshop, slamming the door behind him.

OWO

Len burst out of the shop, his face flushed with happiness. He saw his friends leaning against the opposite shop's window. Running to them, he saw that Miku was holding Rin.

"What's wrong?" Len asked, noticing that Rin was shuddering, despite the layers of clothing she had put on. Rin, hearing Len's voice, opened her eyes and flashed him a smile. Miku frowned, ruffling Rin's blonde locks with her gloved hands.

"We need to get her someplace where there are no cold biting winds. She's nearly at her limit for tolerating the wintriness." said Miku, raising her voice over the fervently blowing wind.

"I'm fine, Len. It's just a little chilly here..! If we could just have a cup of tea of something…I'll be right as rain." Rin hastily assured Len, who took her hand. He hugged her tight, looking around for a café. Five shops down, there was one which they patronised every time they were in town.

When they entered the shop, the pungent fragrance of coffee beans hit their nostrils. Miku and Meiko immediately rushed Rin off to the ladies to warm her up using the hand dryer, leaving the boys to look for seats. Len led Kaito to a table large enough for five and sat him down.

"I bought the piano." Len blurted out.

Kaito grinned. "Good. Now you wouldn't complain about the house being quiet. You might even hear it playing in the dead of the night…" he moaned and raised his hands, imitating a ghost. Len smacked him on the head for having such a morbid thought; he was going to put it in Rin's room, and he certainly did not want anything like that to happen.

"Say, Kaito, did you see the couple who entered the shop a while after me?"

"Yeah, I did. They entered and left with big smiles on their faces. They left empty-handed, though."

"You idiot..! Who would buy a piano and bring it out of the shop with their bare hands?" Len cried, smacking Kaito on the head again. "…the man proposed to the lady in the shop. I saw the whole thing, even congratulated them."

Kaito, rubbing his head with an annoyed expression, stopped and stared at Len. "W-Whoa, so…you saw the man going down on one knee and all that?"

Len nodded, staring off into the distance.

"S-so…that's so cool! Oh, man, did the woman agree to his proposal?"

Len nodded again.

Kaito punched the air, excitement written all over his face. "THAT'S SO AWESOME. I'd wanted to see that for myself…"

Len laughed. "Yeah, it was quite awesome. Even though it happened so quickly, and the whole thing's really, really simple and all, it's just a little…magical, I guess?"

Kaito nudged Len, smiling coyly. "Hey, how about you propose to Rin, eh? Hee~"

Len's face turned a frightening shade of red, thus resembling a weird tomato with a yellow stalk. He didn't retort back, however; he stayed silent, his eyes a little distant, and it was as though he really consider proposing to Rin.

Kaito slapped his cheeks, forming an "O" with his mouth. "Len, you really do want to propose to Rin…don't you?" he shrieked, and Len hastily clamped his mouth with his hand. He nodded and smiled sheepishly at a few people staring, who were shocked at the pitch of Kaito's voice.

"You imbecile—be quiet! I don't want the girls to hear this!" snapped Len, frowning. Kaito wrenched Len's hand from his hand, his speech running out of his mouth as though they were bullets from a machinegun.

"I-I-I can't believe it, Len! Oh, my god, I'm in shock, I'm surprised, very surprised, but in the pleasant way, of course. What would Rin say? What would she say? Oh, holy ice cream, I never thought that my Len would grow up to be a man. Have you purchased a ring? Was the piano some sort of engagement gift? Are you going to have a ceremony? Are you…"

"Shut up, Kaito! You're yelling! Thank god the toilet is rather far from here." Len interrupted Kaito, who gaped at him nevertheless. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, Kaito raised a finger.

"Len, you aren't even old enough to have sex."

Now it was Len's turn to screech, as he attacked Kaito's head in a fashion similar to Rin's. His cheeks felt as though they were on fire. Kaito yelped pathetically, using his coat to block the torrent of blows.

"Len, what are you doing?"

Len stopped; his fists clutching tufts of Kaito's blue hair. His gaze shifted to Rin, who was crossing her arms, looking at him questioningly. Kaito reached out for Miku. "Mi-Miku-chan..! Our blonde angel here has grown into a man!" Miku guffawed, having absolutely no idea about what's going on. Rin cocked her head, confused.

"A-A man..? Kaito, what are you talking about?" Rin asked, nonplussed. Kaito opened his mouth, about to spill the whole load of secrets when Len stuffed it with his scarf.

"N-Nothing at all, Rin, he wasn't saying anything. We were just talking about some…some…boy stuff. Manly stuff…that's all." Len grinned nervously; he was terrible at telling lies.

Miku stared at Len sceptically for a few seconds. "Oh…kay…manly stuff huh." She gave Rin an exasperated look, as if saying, _can you believe this guy?_ Rin eyed Len, who was now wringing his hands.

"What would you guys like to drink?" Rin's sudden question caught everyone off guard. Meiko slapped her forehead and sighed as though she had given up.

"I'll go with you to buy the drinks. Hey, Miku, come along, we need another pair of hands." Meiko said, motioning for the teal-haired girl to follow. She whined, muttering something about wanting to stay and eavesdrop on the boy's conversation, but was dragged off.

Kaito stared at the retreating backs of the girls before turning to Len. "Hey, sit down, they're gone now." Len sat down, shooting him a vicious gaze. "Okay, on to serious business now. You really are serious about proposing to Rinny-kins?"

"W-WHAT—what the hell is with that name?" Len spluttered. "Even **I** don't call her that!" Kaito giggled, but forged on nonetheless with his questions.

"Have you thought of how you're going to do it?"

"N-Not really…it's just that…she's more than a girlfriend to me," Len mumbled, his face tinged red with embarrassment. "And…you know…I don't have all the time in the world to do that. I really love her, Kaito." Ignoring a clapping Kaito, Len continued. "Of course we can't get married, but it's the same thing to me. Just as long as both of us know that we engaged or something…that's…that's enough for me."

"Are you going to buy a ring?" Kaito threw a glance over his shoulder to check if the girls are within earshot. Len nodded, smiling cheerfully. Kaito stared at him, his childish demeanour gone.

"W-What..?"

"I'll get one for you. I'll send it over to you from the city using the postal service. There's a shop near our apartment that sells really pretty jewellery. I bought Miku a really pretty necklace there." Kaito ruffled Len's hair as he said that. Len gazed at Kaito, speechless. He had thought that Kaito would be against it, seeing as…well, he just thought that Kaito would be against it.

"T-Thanks," Len managed to get the word out, and Kaito smiled at him rather paternally. Len's heart thudded against his chest when he thought of Rin and him being engaged. Passion blazed in his eyes, though, and he resolved to propose to her as soon as he was ready. He could not care less if she rejected him or no; he loved her and that was that. If he did not do it soon, he'd live in regret forever.

"Here you go~" Rin sang as the trio of girls returned to the table, each bearing a tray of drinks. Kaito winked at Len before returning to his usual behaviour. The friends told jokes and created a lot of noise in general, causing the some patrons of the café to look on and shake their heads in disapproval.

* A *

"I guess the next time we see you, it'll be a surprise visit again?" Miku giggled, as Len frowned jokingly.

Rin hugged both Miku and Meiko before tackling Kaito, who laughed and patted her head. The trio waved goodbye to both Rin and Len as they drove away, the falling snow rushing to cover up the tracks made by Kaito's blue car.

"Did you have fun today?" Len asked Rin, smiling as he grasped her hand tightly and led her up the stairs. Rin nodded vigorously, beaming.

"Say, what did you guys talk about, really?" Rin asked, as they entered the house.

"Nothing much, really…we were talking about him and Miku. Did you know that he and Miku finally went on a date?" Len uttered, his heart throwing itself against his ribcage.

"Haha, yeah, I knew about that quite some time ago. Miku and I send a few emails to each other sometimes, you know."

Len blew out the breath he had been holding in shakily; his white lie had not been exposed. Taking off their coats, he told her to take a bath before doing the same.

He had just finished his bath when he walked past Rin's bathroom. Rin could be heard singing _Ievan Polka_ in the shower from behind the door, and he chuckled. She really seemed to be in a good mood today, and also seemed to be feeling exceptionally well. He was just about to enter his bedroom when he heard a loud noise from the same bathroom. It was as though something had fallen down in the bathtub. Fearing the worst, Len kicked down the door. What he saw send a cold stab of fear through his heart.

Rin was lying in a messy heap at the bottom of the bathtub. The shower curtain had been ripped down from the ceiling and was lying atop of her, her right fist clenching a handful of it. Water was still pouring out of the showerhead. Len grabbed the towel from the rack and rushed to her side, wrapping her naked body in it. Neglecting to stop the water from pouring out, he stepped into the tub, taking care not to fall or he would be of no help at all. Holding her in his arms, he saw that her eyes were closed, her cheeks pale. Wet, blonde hair clung to her neck and face and her colourless lips were slightly open.

"R-Rin…Rin..! RIN!" Len yelled, pushing his wet bangs out of his eyes.

His clothes were getting soaked, but he could not care less. At a loss at what to do, he looked around for a phone. On the wall beside the entrance, there was a yellow phone to be used in emergencies. It was a direct line to the nearest hospital's emergency reception. He gently placed Rin down and switched the water off. Rushing to the phone, he waited for the call to be picked up before hollering for help. A cool, female voice responded professionally that an ambulance would be there in approximately 6 minutes.

Without even bothering to thank the receptionist; Len hung up and rushed to Rin's side once more. He carried her out of the tub, dried her swiftly and dressed her clumsily, closing his eyes to her nudeness. He then carried her down and wrapped her in her winter coat and knitted scarf which were drying at the fireplace.

"Rin…you're going to be okay…" Len mumbled, more out of assuring himself. He hoisted her in his arms once more and carried her out of the house to the short flight of steps to wait for the ambulance. A minute passed; which seemed like eternity to him. Suddenly, a loud, wailing sound of an ambulance could be heard, and he saw the large vehicle drive up to them. As soon as it stopped, three adults burst of the back. Two of them prepared the stretcher and the third one ran up to Len.

"R-Rin, she…she just…I…" Len stuttered as he looked from Rin in his arms to the man in front of him, his nerves shot. The man took Rin from Len's arms wordlessly and jogged to the readied stretcher, placing the limp girl on it gently. Len looked on dazedly, his mind unable to process anything. He made to follow the ambulance, however, but the man stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Just leave her with us, young man. We'll contact you when anything comes up. Just stay at home and take a rest." The man spoke firmly. Len opened his mouth to say something, _anything_, to object. They were taking Rin away from him, and he always stayed by her side. He could not think of anything, though, so he just stared helplessly, his mouth hanging open. The man gave him a look of sympathy before running to join his colleagues in the back of the ambulance. Len caught a last glimpse of Rin, who had an oxygen mask fixed on her face and a drip being attached to her arm.

"Rin..!" Len called out urgently, his hand reaching out before the ambulance's doors closed with a loud bang and drove off onto the snow-covered road.

* * *

A/N: I suck at writing cliffhangers, if you can even consider this one. ; A ; W-Was it good? Was it unsatisfactory? Please review~ Evidently, there are a lot of people not reviewing. u_u It really makes me happy if you do, so please review~~~ ; n ;`I need a lot of help for my writing and all, too, so please help me improve. Dx

On that note...I'll try to put the next chapter up before my school starts, or I'll have a shitload of stuff and projects to take care of. /fliptable

Thank you for reading~!


	4. Could you peel an orange for me?

"Why didn't they let you go to the hospital?" Kaito shouted, flinging his arms out angrily.

Len had called them as soon as he entered the house, and they drove back here immediately. The four of them now sat at the dining table, the firelight casting long shadows on the wall beside them. Miku stole a gaze at Len uneasily. His eyes were glazed over, and his pale lips were pursed.

"_Kaito, stop yelling._" Miku whispered, pointing discreetly at Len. Kaito threw a frustrated glance over to Miku and continued rambling on in utter annoyance. She sighed, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of fatigue. All of a sudden, she heard quiet sobbing. Turning so quickly that her neck made a cracking sound, she gaped at the sight before her.

Len was covering his face with his hands and crying. His shoulders shook uncontrollably and he sobbed quietly, biting on his bottom lip. Miku was extremely shaken by this; she had never seen Len cry. At a loss of what to do, she reached out to him, but she was afraid of what might happen. There was a flash of brown before her eyes, and before she knew it, Meiko was hugging Len tightly.

Meiko had a grim expression, but she was not saying anything. She just hugged Len tightly as he sobbed harder. Even Kaito's anger dissipated as he witnessed the sight before him.

After what seemed like hours, Meiko finally said, "Len, don't worry. Rin will be alright."

"W-What…what if she…she doesn't make it..!" Len's reply came out in between short bursts of breaths, his voice breaking.

"She…she will make it, don't worry." Meiko assured, patting his head.

"R-Really..? She will, Meiko-nee?" Len looked up at her, as if pleading her to reassure him again. Meiko nodded, this time with more conviction.

Len hurriedly wiped away any trace of tears on his face and in his eyes. His cheeks and nose were tinged with red, but he returned to his jovial mood, even if it rather obvious that it was forced.

"Sorry for making you guys come all the way here," he began, cracking a terrible smile that looked as though he was about to break into tears any moment. Kaito frowned and smacked him on the head.

"Stop feigning; get your coat and scarf, we're going to see Rin." Kaito snapped, with Miku and Meiko looking on, aghast. Len rubbed his head angrily, and looked as though he was about to retort back when Kaito hoisted him over his shoulder. Flabbergasted; Len started to struggle, but he was no match for the older male's strength.

"Miku, grab his coat and scarf. Meiko, lock the door up after us." Kaito commanded, and the women flocked to their assigned tasks hastily, having no idea as to why they were following his orders without objection. The four of them got into Kaito's car and rumbled back onto the main road once again, if not on a far less jovial mood and destination.

***Y***

"Right…here we are," Kaito huffed after dragging Len mercilessly to the hospital's receptionist. "We're looking for a Kagamine Rin—a blonde, petite girl that has been just admitted to the hospital?" he began using his hands to simulate Rin's height to the astonished receptionist. Miku shoved him out of the way and asked the receptionist in a more comprehensible and polite manner. When they got what they wanted, they took the lift and headed towards the operating room that has a sign that says _4B_.

Everyone took their seats at the plastic bench right outside the room with the exception of Kaito, who paced around restlessly, muttering loudly about the superfluous need to operate on Rin and the smell of antiseptics.

"Kaito, take a rest will you? You have been yammering incessantly ever since the car-ride." Miku groaned, putting her arm around Len, who seemed awfully distracted and worried.

Kaito stopped frowning and began rubbing his hands together. "…I can't help it, Miku-chan. I'm actually really nervous."

Meiko snarled, "Just take a damn seat, you blue-headed fool. You're making me jumpy too. Do they sell beers here?"

Kaito sat down and began arguing about Meiko about why there will never be a vending machine that sells beer in a hospital, and Miku took a quick glance at Len to check on him before plugging her eyes with her earpieces and blasting a song to calm her down.

A myriad of emotions were viciously attacking Len right now; despite his blank stare and emotionless face. He tried to think about the white linoleum floors, the plaster ceiling, the humming vending machine a few meters away—and pretty much anything and everything else other than the one thought that nags at his mind no matter what he do. He even tried shaking his head vigorously as though he could _"reset"_ his thoughts, but to no avail. Just when he was about to get up and rush into the operating room, a doctor in sterile white operating clothes came out, removing his gloves and replacing them in his pocket.

Before the others could say _"ah"_, Len dashed to the doctor, his fists clenched.

"D-Doctor, the girl in there—Rin—is she alright?"

The doctor took a good look at Len, as though retrieving a file from his database of patients' relatives. "Ah, you are Kagamine Rin's…eh, brother..? Boyfriend..? Friend..?"

Len stuttered a _"boyfriend"_ and asked him about Rin once more, an edge on his voice this time. The doctor laughed throatily and uttered something about _"young love"_, combing his fingers through his graying hair. Len was about to slug him when he answered with a sigh that Rin was alright. Stunned, Len stared wide-eyed at the doctor. The others heard the good news and starting jumping around the plastic bench like a bunch or fools.

"She's…she's alright..? Rin's alright?" Len repeated, a lump in his throat. The doctor reaffirmed the sentence, giving him a warm smile and a quick squeeze on the shoulder. "The guys brought her in time. Her illness was acting up, and she had to be given treatment immediately to be stabilized." Relief hit Len like a hard smack on the back, and he felt as though he might be suffocated with joy. He hugged the doctor, throwing caution to the winds, a celebratory tear peeking out from the corner of his eye.

"T-Thank you, doctor!" Len shouted; his cheeks flushed with elation. The doctor patted his back and held his shoulders so he could look at the young male.

"We need to keep Rin here for quite a few days, though. She needs to be observed for any signs of deterioration in health or if her sickness will act up anytime soon." The doctor told Len, whose face fell.

"She…she can't come back with me?"

"Not right now. You can't see her in her current state as well; I'm sorry. Perhaps you can come back tomorrow? She won't be awake till tomorrow, seeing as she's under some sedatives. It's late too, so why don't you go home and get some rest? Wouldn't want you getting sick now, would we."

"A-alright…" Len mumbled. The doctor gave his shoulder one last pat before making his way to the west corridor.

"So? What did the doctor say about Rin?" the trio gathered around Len, their inquisitive faces in front of Len's.

"She can't come home with me as of yet; she has to stay here for further observation…stuff. We can't see her yet, too." The three of them stayed quiet for a while, before Kaito wrenched his scarf from his neck and threw it onto the floor.

"Oh..! The sweet pangs of love! Len, don't you feel terrible that you have to be separated from your beloved for so long? I know that if my teal-haired princess isn't anywhere within a ten-foot radius from me, my heart will ache and cry out for her sweet soul—"

"Shut up!" Miku squealed; her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "How cheesy can you get? Anyway, when _can_ we see her, Len?"

"We can visit her tomorrow morning." Len replied shortly.

#$%^%$#

The company of four entered the designated hospital ward the next day, bearing a basket of fruits and flowers. Len looked over to the bed slowly, his heart in his mouth. Lying beneath white, crisp sheets was Rin in what seemed to be a light nap. Her lips parted very slightly, and her chest rose and fell gently beneath the blanket. Her eyes seemed to twitch under the soft light that shone through thin, pink curtains. Her fair, slender hand was resting beside her body. Miku's heart lurched when she saw the drip inserted into Rin's wrist. Grabbing Kaito's arm, they both looked at Len who stood stock still watching the immobile figure on the bed.

Len set a bouquet of daffodils on the table beside the bed and gazed at her. Tenderly, he brushed a stray lock of flaxen hair away from Rin's cheek and smiled sadly. There seemed to be a trace of dark eye circles under her eyes. He hoped with all his heart that she did not stay awake all night dealing with some form of excruciating pain. All of a sudden, Rin's breathing quickened and her eyelids fluttered open. Upon gazing at Len's startled face, a look of amusement spread all over her face.

"It feels lovely to wake up to your face, Len." Rin whispered, giggling. A hot rash climbed all over Len's neck and face as he ruffled her hair gently, frowning playfully.

"Are you feeling alright? Do you feel…you know…uncomfortable in any way…" Len asked, worry creasing his forehead. Rin shook her head gently, and Len sighed in relief. The trio that was observing the scene before them stepped forward. Rin greeted them with a smile on her face as she reached out to them. Kaito grinned lopsidedly as he patted her head.

"Hey there, how are you doing?" he said in a cheery voice. "Len's been in pieces before he saw you. Just thought I'd let you know, hee-hee." Rin giggled at she gazed shyly at Len who suddenly found the ceiling fascinating. Miku held Rin's hand tightly. Rin looked at her, beaming. "Miku~" Miku kept silent for a while before she started wailing and hugged her abruptly. Meiko smiled widely at Rin too, who reciprocated the gesture happily.

"Sorry for making you guys worry…"Rin mumbled; her eyes a little wet. Miku grunted despite it being un-ladylike. "Why are you saying this? If you don't want us to worry, get out of the hospital quick! We don't want our Len to mope around forever."

Len coughed into his fist, his cheeks still as red as ever. Rin chortled at his embarrassment; it was a funny sight.

"Len, I promise that I will do all I can to get out of here as soon as possible," Rin grasped Len's hands, her voice quivering. A pang of pain shot through Len's heart as he glanced at Rin's pallid face. He gave her hands a tight squeeze.

"Yeah, you do that. I have a surprise back at home for you, so hurry back—it feels empty without you."

Rin giggled. "It _WILL BE_ empty without me, because it'll just be you in that house."

Len almost stomped his foot angrily. "Rin..!"

"Alright, alright, I was just kidding. You're adorable, hee-hee."

Len puffed his cheeks in mock anger, something he picked up from Rin. She started laughing, which then turned into a yawn. Meiko looked on worriedly. "Guys," she said. "We should leave Rin alone to have some rest. She needs time to recuperate."

Len broke away from his gazing at Rin and stuttered a reply. "Y-Yeah, yeah…we should. Let's go, guys. Rin, there are some oranges we brought over here for you. If the doctor lets you eat it, you should ask a nurse to help you peel the fruit."

Rin nodded in acknowledgement, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion. Len made to ramble on more about taking care of herself when Kaito grabbed his arm. "Let's go, we should visit her tomorrow. We can come back tomorrow, can't we?"

Biting his lip, Len nodded grudgingly. He really was not that eager to leave yet, but he should let Rin have her rest. He picked up his coat from the armchair nearby and ambled to the door of the private ward. He looked back to see Rin waving a goodbye to them, and bright smile on her face. He beamed at her, blushing happily. Rin's cheeks turned a light pink as well, and she shooed him away jokingly. He went out and gently closed the door behind.

*^Rin^*

I watched as Len and the rest of them went out of the ward. Immediately regretting that I had let them leave, I tilted my head up, resting my weary head on the soft pillows and letting out a sigh I have been holding for the past five minutes. The doctor says that I'm totally fine, but I beg to differ. It's my own body; after all. They were the ones who could not figure out what disease I had in the first place. Truth be told, I feel a slight aching throughout my body. I couldn't really place the source of this discomfort, so I shifted uncomfortably in the sheets, drawing my knees up to my chest.

I looked out of the closed windows; their pink curtains half-drawn. Despite the fact that the hospital was facing a park, the place was covered in snow. There was not much to see except for white, gray and brown. I don't like this place. Well, not to say that our home is exuberantly coloured in the winter season, but it's still better than this.

My gaze shifted to the door as a middle-aged nurse entered the room, bearing a tray of food and medicines. I eyed both items with dread.

"Good morning, Kagamine-san." The jolly nurse called out, a bright smile lightening up the room. I grinned back. It was rather infectious, to say the least! "I'm Riko. We'll be seeing quite a lot of each other, so it's best that we get along, eh?" She winked at me. I observed her hair with morbid fascination. How _did_ she get it to curl like that?

"Y-Yes…I'm Kagamine Rin! Nice to meet you," I extended out my hand, tilting my head as I smiled. She shook it firmly and set the tray on the table that hovered above the bed on rollers.

"Here is the medicine that I have been assigned to give you. I have split the before and after portions into separate labelled saucers, so it's be more convenient. I know," she gave me a stern look as I made a face and hugged a pillow. "Medicines taste terrible, but they'll help you. I expect you to eat it all, Miss."

I frowned as I eyed the different coloured tablets and capsules. At least _they_ brought a splash of colour to the room. Riko gave me an apologetic look as she picked up a syringe filled with suspicious looking liquid. I grimaced as she flicked it get rid of any air bubbles.

"Alright Rin-san; let's get it over and done with—then you can proceed to eat your breakfast."

Tears sprang to my eyes and threatened to fall. I always have been scared of needles. Putting on a brave front, I asked with a forced grin, my voice quivering. "Can you peel an orange for me when we're done?"

Riko smiled ruefully and nodded her head. I took in a deep breath and watched as the slender needle punctured my skin.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took so long to upload such a lackluster chapter. /shot

So many school projects have been mercilessly thrown at me, and the exams are coming in less than a month...not to mention a recent fever has just fried my brains. llorz

Say, would anyone be kind enough write a review and decide for me if I should try to end the story fast or take it slowly? The difference is probably just one or two chapters, but I think people are kinda getting bored with my story. OTL

And if you don't really want to give any suggestions, you can always be a dear and review the story! ^w^ Pretty please? ; O ;`

And with that, I end this chapter. I might take a while to upload the next chapter, so please stay with me! ; u ; Thanks for reading, as always :D


	5. I found it!

ねぇ～～～～～～～My exams are coming soon, so I thought I'd just update once more before facing them on. You'd think if everyone thought that the world was to truly end next year, we'd spend it however we like, instead of doing stuff like homework and projects.

/shakes fist to the heavens

On with the story~

* * *

It was a Monday morning, and Len was done with his morning shift at work. He had started working at a creamery located at the nearby town, much to Kaito's joy. He had four hours to spare before returning for the next shift, so he thought he'd spend it like he has been doing for the past week—visit Rin at the hospital. She was not free to leave just yet; but the nurse continued to bring good news from the doctor. He recalled that she mentioned something about Rin returning to stay with him if her condition did not worsen over the next few days.

Len was filled with hope, and just the thought of Rin staying with him brought a goofy smile to his face.

*T*T*

"And so, they started staying over during the weekend. I had to buy three more makeshift beds just for them!" Len grumbled as he reclined beside Rin, who shifted to the left to make space for him on the hospital bed. Rin giggled, raising a slender hand to her lips. Len grinned and continued with his stories, making wild gestures to simulate Kaito and his antics. The hospital bed groaned slightly under the weight and continuous movement.

Rin's eyes were filled with mirth as she poked Len's cheek playfully. He reciprocated the affectionate gesture with an awkward blush. "Hey, Len…is it me—or have you put on weight from working at that ice-cream shop? Listen; the bed is groaning out loudly in protest under your weight!" she teased, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

Len replied almost immediately. "No, I haven't..! I haven't been eating a lot of ice-cream!" he was almost indignant, which made Rin giggle harder. An idea struck him as he was about to start pouting. With a sly smile, Len abruptly pulled his cotton grey shirt up to his chest and pointed to his lean stomach. "Hmm…I wonder if I'm fat after all?" he asked, a playful tone in his voice.

Rin squealed and covered her eyes with her hands. Len laughed, pulling his shirt back down. He ruffled her hair and grasped her hands tightly, leading them away from her eyes. "We've been together for so long, Rinny—there's no need to be shy~"

Rin smacked his head, a red rash creeping up her neck. She always failed at teasing Len. "Ah…Len..! You idiot—you don't say such things just like that!" she whined. Spotting the oranges in the basket on the small bedside desk behind Len, she continued. "In return, you have to peel oranges for me. I haven't had them since yesterday, and I'm hungry."

"W-What did I do—"

"It doesn't matter; you'd have to peel them for me anyway! Now peel!"

"Eh…" Len's whine died away at a glare from Rin. "Y-Yes, my Queen…right away."

Rin watched, her head propped up by her right hand as Len peeled away the orange skin and dropped them onto the piece of tissue paper he'd placed on the bed. Rin nodded, satisfied as he presented the round, exposed, orange flesh veined with white fibres to her. She motioned to tear a piece away, but Len beat her to it. Nonplussed, Rin looked up and Len held the piece of orange fruit to her lips. Under the soft light provided by the sun shining in through the curtained windows, Rin could make out that Len was not smiling; instead he was blushing rather furiously.

"Wha...Len..?" A half-formed question tumbled out of Rin's mouth, but he pushed the piece of orange against her open lips, this time more insistently.

"Eat it, Rin." Len said shortly. She could tell that he was gathering up quite a lot of his courage to do this, and the thought made her giggle softly. Frowning uncertainly, Len spoke. "I-It isn't alright for me to feed you, Rin?"

She closed her mouth around the piece and held it in between her mouth as she settled back into her pillow, smiling as she chewed on the sweet fruit. Len looked almost relieved and went back to plucking another piece of orange flesh.

"Lenny's shy." Rin sang softly, making sure that it was loud enough for him to hear.

"I-I-I am not shy!" Len replied indignantly, flushing.

"You're red~"

"I…It's the light!"

"The light's a soft yellow, Lenny~"

"A-Ah—"

"My dear Len is so adorable~" Rin sang, wiggling her fingers in the air.

Len chewed on a piece of orange, scrunching up his nose, thinking of a witty comeback. He felt a hand slip into his left which at his side and looked down. Rin closed her cold fingers around his and graced him with a sweet smile.

"Len will always be so precious to me." Rin gazed back at him, a light blush fluttering across her pale cheeks. She chortled at his startled expression and transferred her gaze to their interlocked hands.

Suddenly, impulse shot through him, and he hovered above her, their faces mere inches away from each other. The peeled orange rolled down lazily to the bed from Len's lap. Rin's startling blue eyes widened, her lips parted slightly in shock, unguarded. Len laced his fingers with hers tightly as he gazed into her eyes. They were inscrutable, but to his relief, he did not find any feelings of disgust nor anger in them.

"L-Len..?" Rin whispered; her breath filled with the sweetness of the orange she had just consumed.

Len closed the distance between their lips slowly, and a little uncertainly. He was afraid that Rin would recoil or turn away, but to his surprise, Rin's gaze softened a little, as if telling him that she wouldn't do that.

So he kissed her.

It was like not those kinds of kisses they had watched the actors and actresses do in the movies; those hard, desperate kisses with writhing tongues and a lot of fiery passion. It would kill Len to think about doing those with Rin, let alone actually perform it out. (Len→ "orz)

Both hearts thudded harder against their ribcages as the kiss lengthened and deepened. Len tightened his grip on Rin's fingers, and Rin's legs shifted under Len's weight slightly. Neither of them heard a loud, cheery voice outside the ward, saying something in reply to a shakier voice.

"Eh, it's alright, it's alright! Just let me bring it inside already! What? Ah…you don't remember me? I have blue hair—how can you _not_ remember me? It'll be fine, it'll be fine…ah, _and I'm going in already_!"

Kaito burst into the private ward, a cream-coloured bag in his hand and his blue scarf fluttering wildly. He was so intent on a grand entrance that he did not notice the duo's actions. Rin pushed Len off her wildly and he quickly arranged himself on the bed, propping the pillows around him as though he had been in that position for a really long time.

"My beloved flaxen-haired babes~ how are you…what's this atmosphere?" Kaito asked, his nose twitching as though he could sniff a certain scent.

Len threw a pillow at Kaito's head, still breathless from the kiss. "B-BaKaito—what are you doing here? You ruined—y-you were supposed to be back at your home!"

Kaito removed the pillow from his face and smirked at Len. "I wanted to give Rin this orange flan I found in a café a little ways from here…I bought a few to share, so I thought we'd share! Anyway, I came here to look for you to bring you out with me to look at something…what's wrong? Am I interrupting a little together time here?"

Rin stifled a grin as she gazed at Len's red and slightly irritated face. "A-Ah…BaKaito! What are you talking about?" he snapped, ready to toss another pillow at Kaito's face, which was getting a little contorted from the smug smile he was flashing. Rin snatched it out of Len's hands and gave him a quick hug, turning to Kaito. She reached out to him, and he walked over to her, giving her a hug and ruffling her blonde hair.

"You brought orange-flavoured something?" Rin piped, an excited tone catching onto her voice as she waited in anticipation. Kaito reached into the bag and held out an orange-hued flan that wobbled precariously in a cute plastic container. "Behold..! The most fashionable dessert that has swept innumerable girls off their feet…ORANGE FLA—oouff"

Len had tugged on Kaito's blue scarf like a handle, and the flan fell out of his hands into Rin's outstretched ones. She stared at the flan as if it were the most beautiful dessert she'd ever seen.

"Ah~ It's so cute~ How can I bear to eat it?" Rin whined, quickening Len's heartbeat. She stared at the top of the flan which had a bear's face imprinted on it and squealed. Kaito fished out another two flans and tossed one to Len, who almost dropped it.

"Like this…" Kaito popped open the cover and downed the whole dessert in one mouthful. He chewed, as if he were pondering. In a few seconds, he swallowed the flan down and looked at the wide-eyed duo. "It's good. Not as good as ice-cream, of course, but it provides some stiff competition."

Rin's eyes sparkled, and with much gusto, she devoured the flan in a startlingly short amount of time. Len watched on, horrified; because he had never seen her devour something whole—even oranges, and amazed; for he had never seen her with such good appetite. Staring at the flan, he popped open the plastic cover and scooped a piece of flan into his mouth. The refreshing sweetness of oranges paired with the richness of creamy milk and thick coffee-caramel mix greeted his tongue. He found himself devouring the very same dessert with as much fervour as Kaito and Rin had displayed.

"I-I-IT'S REALLY, REALLY GOOD." Len blurted out, as much as he preferred bananas over oranges. Kaito and Rin were folding their arms and looking smug, though they probably had their own reasons.

"I'm glad you appreciate my taste in desserts." Kaito flicked his blue hair, a sparkle escaping from his fingers.

"I told you oranges were _good_." Rin smirked, her bow somehow adding onto her smugness. He had no idea how, but it did. And he was right. They both had different reasons. Shaking his head, he remembered Kaito's speech just now.

"Say, Kaito, did you say that you want me for something?" Len asked, disposing of the plastic containers in the nearby bin. Kaito smacked his forehead as a gesture of saying '_Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot. Thanks for reminding me._' He smiled slyly and motioned for Len to come closer. Curious, Len faced his right ear to Kaito's beckoning hand. Rin stared on; perturbed that she was being left out of the circle.

"_I found it_." Kaito whispered into Len's ear.

"Huh?" Len stared at the silly, grinning blue-haired male in total confusion.

"Tch, you thick-headed shota..! The wedding ring, I found the wedding ring!"

Len was about to kick Kaito's ass all the way back to his apartment when he heard the second sentence. His heartbeat accelerating, he stole a glance at Rin, who had returned to eating the peeled orange in peace, blissfully unaware.

"Y-you found a nice one? Can I trust your taste..?" Len gazed suspiciously, and Kaito reared back, his pride hurt with that comment.

"Ugh! I can't believe you just said that..! Of course you can trust my taste!" Kaito burst out; his voice high and laced with irritation. Len heard a giggle behind him and did his best to suppress a grin as well. It was always such fun teasing Kaito.

"I think I'd better see it for myself. Do you have it with you?" Len asked.

"What do you think I am, stupid? Of course I haven't bought it yet. I just wanted to bring you along to have a look at it." Kaito snapped. Len resisted the urge to hit his head for being so petty. Instead, he nodded amicably.

"So, when are we going? I get off at 8pm." Len asked, shifting his gaze to Rin, who returned it with a quizzical one. A look of mischief flashed in Kaito's and he grinned impishly.

"How about going off now? The jewellery sparkles more under the bright light of the day."

Len stared at the clock on the wall—it's just 12:42pm! He wasn't even halfway through his shift! Kaito always had an unquenchable thirst for getting people into trouble. It's like he needs people to suffer for him to survive. "Now, you crazy blue-headed freak—everyone knows that's just absolute bullshit! Sparkle under the light of the day? More like you want me to get fired! Shouldn't you be more mindful of that—seeing as the only person that gets anything out of my job is you?"

Kaito raised a hand to his chin as though he were thinking. "You see, I figured if you get fired, I could replace you in that ice-cream shop. Oh, that'd be heaven. So far, no one in that town knows me well enough to ban me from any ice-cream shops so—"

"You were banned from ice-cream shops?"

"…ah, we should really get going. I'm bringing Miku out to dinner later." Kaito spoke quickly. "Better say goodbye to your fair maiden!"

Len missed Kaito's head with the empty paper bag by mere centimetres. Shaking his fist angrily at him, he turned to Rin, who was holding the orange peel in her hand.

"Rin, I'm going to see something with Kaito. I'll be back to see you before you sleep, so don't worry!" Len smiled as he brushed a lock of hair away from Rin's eyes. A light pink fluttered across her face as she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Len immediately felt the cold of winter being expunged from his body. In fact, his cheeks were on fire. Coughing awkwardly, Len gave her a quick hug, ignoring the incessant cackling of Kaito from the door. He wondered what Kaito would do if he knew what they were doing just now…resuming his awkward coughing fit, Len hurried to the door, trying desperately to flush away the scene playing in his mind. Kaito might be able to read his mind. One could never be too sure.

* * *

A/N: I-I-I-I was just typing this out and I uh I uhm I just—I just typed out that little scene…(*x *;;)…..gdi I'm not a perverted teenage girl with raging hormones, okay

Anyways, I decided to listen to Chikanpo and take it slow. I'M SO GLAD SOMEONE OUT THERE THINKS THIS ISN'T BORING

In other words, there will definitely be progress on the main storyline in every chapter, even if it's the littlest thing that needs to happen for the story to flow. ←Didn't make sense, did it. I'm so tired I can hardly see straight my creys

So, yeah, that's it. Thanks for reading, and as always, leave a review~

_why is it that there are so many views compared to the little reviews D: does my story suck that much/shot _

_that's why i love all of the people who review I LOVE ALL Y'ALL LEMME GIVE YOU A HUG_


	6. The Ring

A/N: I'm so sorry for the late updates. I have been neglecting to update, despite having this chapter around for a while now. In this chapter—I wouldn't say that a great deal of stuff will be happening, but—yeah. This is not exactly filler material too, so don't worry.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

OuO

The duo was walking a little briskly through the streets of the town near where Len and Rin lived. Len was surprised, seeing as he expected Kaito to bring him to the bustling city of where he lived with the others. The sky was a little cloudy, and snow was falling lightly. Citizens of the town rushed with their businesses beside them.

Len wrapped his scarf around his neck a little tighter as a cold draught blew past him and Kaito. He glanced at the taller male and saw that he was staring ahead of him in concentration. Confused, he spoke through his scarf with a muffled voice.

"What are you looking at, Kaito?"

"To be honest, I am actually worried that you wouldn't like the ring. It's just that—I was exploring this town and I saw this beautiful ring being displayed in a small little window. It really, really, REALLY appealed to me, so I made a reservation for it, in case anyone would want to buy it. It isn't very expensive OR extravagant, so—yeah…I'm worried that Rin or you wouldn't be too happy about it."

"Don't worry, Kaito—I have faith in you." Len smiled encouragingly and motioned for him to walk faster. His heart was beating rather fast as he was excited to see the ring.

**^u^**

"Here you are, sir! Please take your time and have a good look!" The lady behind the counter presented the jewellery on a plush cushion of sorts with a grin. She looked endearingly at Len, thinking that he was planning to buy it for a parent of his.

A small pristine Citrine jewel adorned the middle of the ring. The xanthous-coloured jewel's facets sparkled under the white glare of the shop's lighting. Floral engravings decorated the slightly copper hued band, giving it an earthen feel. Len stared hard at it. He had never seen a piece of jewellery more suited for Rin. Whenever he bought her jewellery, he found it to be a little strange on her. Big, chunky and fancy necklaces looked huge compared to her petite frame, and she always disliked them.

Wordlessly, he picked up the ring. Its metal band was cold to the touch—so much that it stung a little. He held it up to the light and rotated it, taking in all of its beauty. Smiling to himself, he looked at Kaito, who appeared relieved.

"It's beautiful, Kaito! I told you that you'd come through for us!" Len spoke excitedly, a big smile plastered on his face.

"That's great! I'm sure Rin would love it too, then!" Kaito replied.

Smiling confidently to the lady, Len set the ring down on the cushion once more. "I'll take it."

***o (●´∀｀) o***

"So, when're you going to do it?" Kaito whispered as they entered the hospital. Len removed his gaze from the small yellow velvet box the lady so kindly gave him for the thousandth time and blinked, stunned.

"I haven't really given it much thought…I was hoping to do it right after she comes out of the hospital, but I think I might hint it to her and see her reaction." Len said as he tapped his chin. Kaito nodded wisely.

"Don't rush when it comes to such things, my son." Kaito stroked an imaginary beard.

Len face-palmed and groaned, walking faster as though he didn't want to be seen with Kaito. "It isn't as if you'd ever proposed to someone before—you crazy ice-cream freak!"

Kaito laughed with mirth and clapped his hands. "But I'm older, and therefore wiser than you, so that gives me the right to act like that."

"Your mind functions very strangely, you know. I wonder if all that ice-cream killed some of your brain cells." Len snapped, keeping the velvet box into his pocket as they were nearing Rin's ward. All of a sudden, Kaito clicked his fingers.

"Ah, I just remembered—I have to meet Miku and the others for a movie! I can't stay any longer. Help me tell Rin I said bye!"

"You can just do it yourself; the ward is just around the corner!"

"Ah, no—I really need to run! Sorry, and see you around!" Kaito shouted as he ran down the stark white corridor, apologizing to a nurse as she scolded him for making such a racket.

Len sighed and shook his head. He walked to the ward and knocked lightly. Receiving no response, he flung open the door excitedly and was about to call out to Rin when he saw her on the bed. She was snoozing lightly, her left hand left beside the pillow as though it was forgotten, and her hair was strewn carelessly all over the pillow. He watched her chest rise up and down slowly as he leaned against the doorframe. She hardly looked sick at all. His spirits soared as he thought of the possibility that she could be completely healed.

He gently closed the door behind him and sat beside her. He looked at her right hand hanging over the bed and thought of the ring. He wondered how it'd look on her. Itching to take it out and put it on her, he resisted the urge, afraid that she's suddenly wake up and see it. He hadn't even popped the question, and if he did that without asking her—she'd surely feel creeped out.

He began to ponder if she'd accept him at all, and it unnerved him as scenarios of her rejecting him played out in his head like little movies. He stood up and stretched, shaking his head as though to clear those depressing thoughts. Staring at the sun's dying rays, he drew the curtains and set the ward's light to a low. Settling back into the chair, he spaced out and soon fell into a deep sleep.

"Pssst,"

A light whisper woke Len up with a start. He grunted and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. A pair of aquamarine eyes stared back into his. Rin's face was barely a few centimetres from his own. He could feel his face heating up. Desperately, he backed as far as he could into the soft armchair he was resting on. Rin giggled and drew away from him.

"I bought us dinner from the small eatery not far from the hospital." She pointed towards the bags on the wooden table opposite the bed. Len cringed.

"You should have just waked me up to buy dinner! Why didn't you? What if something happened to you?"

Rin squeezed his arm and frowned. "Don't worry so much! I had the nurse accompany me to the eatery. I'm not so irresponsible as to leave the hospital by myself!"

The duo glared at each other for minutes, neither backing away. Len's anger dissipated, and he looked away, biting his lip. Rin straightened, releasing his arm. They remained silent; before Rin broke it by saying that the food was getting cold.

They ate dinner in silence. Rin stared steadily at Len, whose mind was on the ring. He yearned to pop the question, but he was _so_ afraid that she'd reject him. He didn't want their relationship to come to an end because of this—so he thought that he should just observe her for the time being.

"…Len? What's wrong?" Rin asked, setting down her spoon.

"H-huh..?" Len replied; his spoon stopping halfway en route to his mouth. "You…you could tell—"

"Anyone can, idiot!" Rin said. "Look, you've been scooping nothing to your mouth for the past minute!"

Len looked at his spoon. Sure enough, there was nothing on it. His plate, however, had a lot of food left on it.

"Uhh…" Len started, as Rin looked at him questioningly. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "S-say, Rin—what do you feel about getting m—"

A firm tap of the door sounded, and the nurse called from outside. "Rin, it's time for your medicine. Can I come in?"

"Sure!" Rin called back. "What is it you were saying again, Len?" She looked back at him.

"…nothing, it's nothing. I'll tell you about it next time." He uttered, a little dejectedly. Rin stared at him, her eyebrow raised. She looked at his hand, unmoving on the table. Giving it a quick squeeze, she left the table and walked towards the nurse that was waiting for her.

* * *

A/N: Just to give you a heads up-this story might be coming to an end in the coming chapter. _` I mean, I didn't think this could go on for 6 chapters-but hey, you guys helped me do so. Thanks so much for the reminder, Chika. 3

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! C: If you didn't, I promise you that the next will be more-erm-let's just say that the story line'll really be making a huge progress. ;D

As always, please review! 3


	7. I love you

A/N: Homg. Sorry for the long wait! I was procrastinating and stuff. Really sorry about it. oTL Please, enjoy!

* * *

The winter was really setting in, and with Rin's condition improving visibly, Len appealed to the doctor for her to move back to their house. Although the doctor's reaction was a little weird, he allowed Rin to do so. His only request was that Rin remained in her room and her bed at all times. Within the week, the duo was back together in their cosy corner of the world. It has then been a few months since they moved back together.

Len has yet to pop the question, always putting it off for another time. He could never figure out if he was just afraid of her reaction, or if it was something else. Rin remained the same, though. Her bubbly self would always brighten the room, and she would always bug Len to make orange treats for her. He noticed that she would always to hide her coughing fits from him, however. Sometimes, he would catch her staring out of the window in her room dejectedly. He even caught her crying softly once, to which he rushed into the room to check if she was okay. Her only reply would always be that she was fine, and she would then smile through her tears. It pained him so to look at her suffering, slowly wasting away. But the next morning, she would always be fine; as though she was never diagnosed with the accursed illness.

*~*~*~*Y*~*~*~*

Len quickly finished up with the washing of the dishes, and chased away all of the thoughts in his head. Wiping his hands on the hand towel, he walked back up to Rin's room and opened the door gently. Rin was staring at the ceiling a little dazedly, her hands interlaced and placed on top of her stomach.

"Hey," Len called out, closing the door gently. Rin turned to him quickly, smiling brightly. She sat up slowly, and reached out to him. He crossed the room briskly and sat beside her, hugging her close. He could feel her breath beside his ear, and her hands clinging onto him daintily. He would always wish for these moments to last forever; just the two of them, close to each other, the whole world at a standstill. Rin pulled back slowly, and already he began to miss her warmth.

"Len, won't you play the piano? I haven't heard you playing at all today." Rin asked as her fingers tucked a stray golden lock behind her ear. Len smiled and nodded, and walked to the piano he bought for her and placed in her room. His finger splayed over the piano keys and he started to play a familiar melody. He looked at Rin and beamed at her, and she reciprocated the gesture by smiling tenderly. She pulled the red scarf hanging atop her bed stand and slowly walked to Len's side. She sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, singing along. The house was filled with their voices and the crystal clear notes of the piano. When the song ended, Rin looked up and gave Len a kiss on his cheek. His cheeks burned, but he did the same to her. They grinned at each other happily, and just as Len began to speak, the alarm clock beside Rin's bed sounded. Rin's face fell, and she shuffled back to her bed. With a pained look in his eyes, Len reached for the medicine cabinet beside the piano and took out the daily dose of medicine that Rin was supposed to take. He walked to her bed and sat beside her, and he prepared the syringe with the liquid inside it. Just as he lifted her arm, Rin cried out.

"C-can we don't do this today? Let's just skip today's dosage, please." Rin pleaded with her other hand clutching Len's arm.

Len frowned and shook his head. "You know we can't do this, Rin! You HAVE to take your medicine. Now, just lay back, okay?"

"No, please," Rin begged, her eyes misted with tears. She blinked them back and lowered her head, her voice wavering. "Please, Len, I beg you-just for today." Len's heart ached so badly that he wanted to dump all of the medicine supplied by the hospital into the nearest trash can. He knows that he can't fulfil Rin's request, but she was begging him to do so. He bit his lip and lowered the syringe.

"Alright," Len uttered quietly.

Rin smiled, tears falling from her eyes. She nodded a 'thank you'. Len put away the medicine and pulled her into a crushing bear hug. "I love you so much," Rin whispered hoarsely. "I really do." Len's throat burned, and tears threatened to fall. He closed his eyes lest they do fall. "I know, Rin. You know I love you too." She nodded earnestly. He could feel tears falling onto his shoulder, but he remained quiet. He stroked her hair and held her tightly, staring out of the window. The snow has stopped falling.

*~*~*~Y*~*~*~*

Len lay beside Rin, their hands interlocked tightly. The duo was wide awake, both staring into space, both deep in thought. Rin abruptly sat up, closing her eyes. She seemed like she was gathering her strength of some sorts.

"Len, let's go for a walk." She said softly, still staring ahead of her.

"A walk..? You know we can't do that, Rin." Len sat up as well, shaking his head. She turned to him. There was something wrong in her gaze, but it disappeared quickly. "It's okay. It's not snowing for the time being. We'll just walk for a little bit. Please?" She was squeezing his hand tightly, as though she was afraid of something.

"…alright. We'll take a walk for a little while. Go and put your coat on." Len huffed, resigned. Rin smiled and shook her head. "If we're walking for a while, we won't need a coat, right? Let's just take a scarf along or something." Len gazed at her face for a good while, as though he was scrutinising it.

"Okay." He said softly.

They walked down the stairs slowly, and he told Rin to wait at the bottom of the stairs for him. He rushed up to his room and took the ring he had bought for her. He was going to do it; it was now or never. When he came back down, tucking the ring safely into his pocket, Rin flashed him a small smile and wrapped the scarf around her neck. She did the same for him, and they walked out of the house.

*~*~*~Y*~*~*~*

They held each other's hand as they strolled, talking about anything and everything. Len looked at their footprints that were in the snow beside each other and smiled. Rin looked at him quizzically. "What are you smiling at?" She asked, with a look of curiosity. Len looked up. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that, our footprints…" Len began to feel a blush creeping across his face. He trailed off into nothingness. Rin laughed lightly. "What are you even saying? Finish your sentence, come on." He shook his head, the blush becoming more visible by the second. His hand brushed across his pocket, and he remembered with a start. He fumbled with his pocket.

"Say, Rin—"

"Len, won't you sing the song you played just now?" Rin interrupted, staring hard into the blanket of snow around her. Len jumped with a start.

"No, listen to me—"

"You won't sing it?" Rin grinned playfully. She let go of Len's hand as though it was a form of punishment. She ran in front of him and stopped, her golden locks framing a beautiful smile. "Fine, then I'll sing it."

"Rin, listen to me for a minute—"

"悲しい歌うにはしたくないよ。ねえ、お願い、今この時だけは 笑っていたいよ。。。"

Len gazed softly at Rin, who was singing sweetly. He was halfway through digging his pocket for the ring. She smiled at him, and he could only do the same as her. There was something wrong with the whole scene, but he wasn't really sure what it was.

"Rin…"

"あなたの横で 優しい歌を 歌っていたい。。。"

Rin trailed off, gazing sadly at Len. Len stared, flabbergasted at her expression. He reached out for her, and she took an unsteady step back. A tear rolled down her cheek, followed by another.

"Thank you," She began. Tears began falling steadily down her face, and she clutched at her throat, sobbing. Len began walking towards her, his voice stuck in his throat. He shook his head, and just as he reached for her hand, she collapsed into the snow-ridden ground. Time seemed to come to a stop.

"…no…" Len whispered hoarsely. He fell to his knees. "Rin…" He frantically grabbed her hand and hoped with all of his heart for a pulse. Her warmth was dissipating, and the colour in her cheeks was draining away. "Don't…don't do this to me, please," Len begged. He could hardly see through all the tears. He cradled Rin's pale and frigid face, his tears falling onto her face. "Don't go somewhere I can't follow, Rin." He lifted her limp body, the snow clinging onto her damp clothes. He held it close, but to no avail. She was gone, and he can never hear her voice again. He buried his face into her neck, weeping, as he screamed her name over and over again, as though it could somehow bring her back into his arms once more.

The sky was getting darker, and snow began falling. Len could no longer feel his arms and legs, but despite that, he still clutched to Rin's lifeless body. Her head lolled back like a doll, and no matter how many times Len squeezed her icy cold hand, she would never give him a good squeeze back. His throat was sore from all the screaming, and he was finally silent like his departed beloved.

"We were going to be together, always." Len whispered into her skin, his twitching fingers holding on tightly to her unmoving hand. "Rin…" Len reared back and looked at Rin. He laid her down back into the snow. She looked as though she was just in a deep sleep, nothing more. Slowly, he lay down by her side, not letting go of her hand. He stared into the dark sky as the snow continued to fall from the heavens, burying everything in white. Slowly, he started humming the tune he always played for Rin. He turned to Rin and whispered his final words to her.

"I love you."

* * *

A/N: So, what do you think? I'm not sure I did a good job with closing the end, I just can't write angst for nuts. I'm sorry about the Japanese lyrics, I just felt like they were somehow better than the English translation. Do leave me a review telling me if I made you sad, even if it was just the slightest bit! :D This is the end of the story, thank you for staying with me for the past chapters till now! I love you guys so much, srly. /clings ㅠ.ㅠ If you guys feel like there should be an epilogue of sorts, please feel free to tell me so! I'll do my best to write it! :DD Once again, thank you!

Oh, and if you guys would like me to write another story about a song, please feel free to do so. Heh heh. 8D


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